Interview
partition walls between the kitchen and
its restored mechanism. The chairs are
the servant's room and in the bathroom
from different sets, but there are also two
we decided to keep the existing layout
simple and inconspicuous chairs signed
of the walls. Originally there were three
by Thonet, and another elegant art déco
that we had to remove almost everything
doors, which made sense actually. The
table. The dresser was bought by us. We
and start from scratch. At one point there
lady of the house had her own entrance
wanted something that would fit with
were no windows, as they were being
to the bathroom through which she could
the other restored pieces of furniture and
replaced, there was no roof, only the
go to the children's room and when the
the overall characteristics of this place. It
walls as if a bomb had gone off in here.
master of the house came back home
is practically impossible to find original
"The starry skies above me…“* . It all
a bit tipsy, he could use the bathroom
modernist furniture on the market, and
looked appalling and on top of that the
without waking her and the children
we simply couldn't afford contemporary
mould-attacked plaster was removed. The
up... When we bought the house, it had
reproductions of the modernist "icons".
owner of the company doing the exterior
already been changed so now there's
We therefore decided to buy furniture
renovation told us he could build exactly
only one door and there's no bath, but
from that era or keep the ones we had.
the same house from the foundations up
there is a shower. This solution meets
for less money. Of course we wouldn't
the requirements of a modern bathroom.
GHL: Have you preserved all the
have built a house here... During the
These changes aren't too serious since the
original details that were in good
works all sorts of smart ass specialists
layout hadn't been original anyway. We
enough shape to use? The doors,
wanted to add their two pennies worth; for
did our best to keep the rest as it was.
for example? DH: Ninety percent of the doors: only
example, to remake the steep stairway all the way down to the basement or move
GHL: But the new interior recalls the
one is new but identical to the others, I
it elsewhere. Finally, my husband had
modernist style.
can't tell one from another at the moment.
enough and he said, "Gentlemen, this
DH: Yes, right. We wanted to make a
They were made of painted plywood.
house is visited by architects and students
tribute to the original shapes. We've
Everywhere we could, we kept the original
from all over the world. Do you think that
preserved original furniture which we
door handles; only the entrance door hasn't
you and I know better and we'd come up
restored from junk. I don't know if anyone
got one. But our ambition is to find a similar
with anything better?" And so that brought
else would actually dare to do what we
handle. It's really hard to track them down
the relentless commenting to a halt. We
did. The dining table, now in the living
though. I'm always browsing Allegro**and
were really angry that someone would
room, was in extremely poor shape but
antique fairs and I'm sure I'll find one at
want to change anything, while we loved
fortunately a furniture restorer did it up
some point. The lamps in the living room
absolutely all of it. Naturally, we kept
for us so now this rather small, elliptic
are most probably originals. The Historic
certain changes: we didn't restore all of
art déco table extends. Ten people can
Preservation Officer drew our attention
them. For example, we didn't restore the
now sit comfortably and dine thanks to
to them and told us to keep them, even
56 WuWA
* “The starry skies above me and the moral law within me” – Immanuel Kant ** Allegro – a Polish online auction website